Sandwiched between Bruce Springsteen’s two British Summer Time dates at Hyde Park came another American legend from the East Coast and of a similar vintage in Billy Joel. Just like my two previous sightings of the New Yorker at Wembley Stadium, it was a sell out, a pleasant surprise as I have always had the impression at least from chart positions that he is bigger across the pond.

The main support came from another American with a distinguished history in Daryl Hall. Wisely he stuck to a Hall and Oates based set, and- sandwiched by ‘Dreamtime’ which I dredged from my memory was a minor solo hit over here- opened with three of those danceable eighties pop meets soul classics in ‘Maneater’, ‘Family Man’ and ‘Out of Time’.

The seven piece band was decent and also effectively filled out the gaps in his vocals, but something was missing. He appeared uninterested and totally failed to build a rapport or connection with the crowd. Considering he has hosted a very popular US music show ‘Daryl’s House’ (whose stage set formed a backdrop) this was surprising, and I wondered if perhaps he was feeling off colour?

Mid set, he switched from guitar to piano for the remaining songs, including ‘Every Time You Go Away’, with a sax solo from the silver-maned multi instrumentalist Charlie de Chant who provided the only flamboyance. There was greater emphasis on H and O’s more Philly Soul/RnB flavoured earlier work such as ‘Sara Smile’, though ‘I Can’t Go For That’ became a lengthy jam with Charlie again prominent on sax.

However by the time he finished with the usual Hall and Oates live closers ‘Rich Girl’ and ‘You Make My Dreams Come True’ it was background music for a crowd who had long lost interest. His was a lacklustre show which promised to be great given the quality of the material, but proved a disappointment.

Billy Joel arrived on stage 15 minutes earlier than billed, dressed casually by his standards in black t shirt, jeans and jacket, and took to his piano- placed dead central which, at a flat venue like this, had the unfortunate effect of obscuring the view of the bassist and drummer. He opened with two of his first hits in this country in ‘My Life’ and ‘Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song’), the latter with an excellent closing passage from a horn trio.

Indeed one of the pleasures of a BIlly Joel show- in common with probably his nearest British equivalent Elton John, not to mention the E Street Band- is how the enjoyment of his great songs are enhanced in a live setting by an accomplished ensemble of players, most of whom have been in his band for many years..So musical director David Rosenthal (one of two ex-Rainbow members no less, alongside drummer Chick Burgi) embellished ‘The Entertainer’ with some classic seventies pomp rock synths and the jazzy ‘Zanzibar’ saw Carl Fischer take centre stage with a trumpet solo.

Billy’s arch, self-deprecating wit was in evidence as (in a variation of his introductory remarks at most shows) he said the bad news was he had no new material and the good news was we wouldn’t have to suffer any new stuff. He offered a choice of songs with audience response meaning ‘Vienna’ was chosen in preference to ‘Just the Way You Are’ though judging from both a handwritten setlist published on his social media and the way a scene of the Austrian capital was swiftly beamed onto the big screen implied a decision had already been made!

Though that recognisable voice has weathered well, when stepping out from his piano he asked for crowd help with the high notes on ‘An Innocent Man’, completing a pair from that album with the ‘doo- wops’ of ‘The Longest Time’.

Hit was to follow hit, but in a variety of styles: from the jaunty ‘Don’t Ask Me Why’ to a haunting ‘New York State of Mind’ with a sax solo from Mark Rivera; ‘Allentown’ complete with video backdrop; ‘She’s Always a Woman’ where the video focused on a crowd trying to pick themselves out singing on the big screen (and where Mark’s flute was disappointingly inaudible); to the band rocking out on the new wave-ish ‘Sometimes a Fantasy’.

‘Only the Good Die Young’ featured another overload of horn playing while there were a few unexpected twists. In the middle of ‘River Of Dreams’ (not a personal favourite but it went down well) multi instrumentalist Crystal Taliefero came out front from her station to belt out ‘River Deep Mountain High’, and rhythm guitarist Mike DelGuidice superbly sang ‘Nessun Dorma’, allowing Billy to sneak his beloved classical music into the set.

Even better was to follow as ‘Scenes From an Italian Restaurant’ seemed to pack in a whole mini opera within its seven minutes and the crowd swaying in unison to the ‘waving goodbye to Brenda and Eddie’ line. When Billy strapped a harmonica around his neck, that could only mean he was preparing for his signature song ‘Piano Man’ and as the ‘la-la di-di-da’ refrain rang out from the crowd at sunset, it was a moment to savour and one I wished could last for longer.

Indeed it was a good job that darkness had fallen by the start of the encores, given the visuals of ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’, a full on rock sound with Billy now up front on guitar accompanied by flames and images of all those events in the news, brought up to date by being swiped left and right. ‘Uptown Girl’ is a stone cold pop classic which did not even need the added embellishment of a duet with Jonas Brother Joe, and Billy stayed out front for ‘Its Still Rock and Roll to Me’ which somehow I’d forgotten about.

That still wasn’t it though as the band rocked out with a trio of songs; a snarling ‘Big Shot’ with a closing solo from guitarist Tommy Byrnes, a cover of ‘A Hard Day’s Night’, and finally ‘You May Be Right’ including a snatch of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Rock N Roll’, before Billy gingerly stepped down from his piano after a set comfortably over 2 hours.

A superb back catalogue and skilled musicians was matched by a warm summer’s evening to create a perfect vibe. ‘We’re all in the mood for a melody and you’ve got us feeling alright’ indeed!

Review and Photos by Andy Nathan

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.

Josh Taerk Sunday Sessions 2024

Latest session: Sunday 14 April

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David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 7 April 2024.

UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 2 April 2024.

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Power Plays w/c 15 April 2024

ENMY The Ledge (FiXT)
KAROBELA Get Hard (indie)
KATH & THE KICKS Neptune (indie)
THE BEE TELLERS River Poem (Black Sand Records)
LAUREN FREEBIRD Like A Bomb (indie)

Featured Albums w/c 15 April 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023
14:00-16:00 KATARINA PEJAK – Pearls On A String (Ruf Records)

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